Fewer Babies May Mean Longer Life

by Nicole Stevens on January 29, 2015

Nicole Stevens

About the Author

Nicole Stevens is a 30-something mom of four adorable kids. Her passions include spending time with her babies and doing research in the laboratory. She also enjoys crafts, photography, crochet, reading, and long walks. Her work has appeared elsewhere on WhattoExpect.com.

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WhatToExpect.com supports Word of Mom as a place to share stories and highlight the many perspectives and experiences of pregnancy and parenting. However, the opinions expressed in this section are those of individual writers and do not reflect the views of Heidi Murkoff of the What to Expect brand.

New research out of Sweden suggests that having fewer kids may yield longer life, at least in some species. Scientists studying long-lived birds discovered that individuals who have fewer offspring later in life tended to have greater lifespans. The secret to more birthdays may lie in a little structure of DNA called a telomere.

For the study, which was reported in BMC Evolutionary Biology, Angela Pauliny and her colleagues at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, looked at barnacle geese. These birds can live to be 28-years old — an impressive lifespan in the avian world. The scientists wanted to see if lifespan correlated with factors such as age, gender, and reproduction.

Pauliny's team gathered blood samples from the birds and looked at telomeres, which are structures found at the end of chromosomes. Telomeres help chromosomes separate during cell division and they protect the cell's DNA from degradation. Each time a cell divides, the telomere caps get broken down slightly until they can no longer protect the DNA and the cell dies. Telomeres are rather like the fuse on a bundle of dynamite. They get shorter and shorter until... kaboom!

The researchers on this study found that long-lived geese are good at repairing and maintaining telomeres. As with any species, the geese showed wide variation in the length and maintenance of telomeres. These characteristics can be inherited from parents, but the DNA structures are also sensitive to environmental conditions and stress.

Geese who were able to invest more energy in maintaining bodily functions and less energy in reproduction tended to live longer. This trend is seen in other species as well. Elephants, for example, have few offspring and live many decades. A mouse that produces dozens of babies generally only lives a few months to a year. Species that neglect DNA repair in favor of early, copious reproduction sacrifice a long lifespan.

So, what does this mean for humans? Anyone who wants to reach a triple digit age should forego having babies? Not necessarily. Humans also inherit variable telomere lengths and DNA repair capabilities. Plus, we deal with lifestyle stress that most animals don't encounter. [You'd probably never see a barnacle goose smoking a cigarette, staying up too late at night, or eating loads of junk food.] Kids or not, our best shot at a long life requires limiting stress, living a healthful lifestyle, and hoping that our parents bequeathed us some champion telomeres.

But having kids certainly involves sacrifice. I've discovered firsthand the physical and mental investment that childbearing demands. On days when I'm holding a screaming baby, cleaning up a toddler's potty accident, and realizing I'm late shuttling my preschooler and kindergartner to school, I can almost feel my telomeres withering. Still, my four little offspring bring me great joy, so I don't begrudge them a few years of my life. Who needs a cake with 100 candles on it, anyway?

Would you have fewer kids if it meant a longer life? Share thoughts below.

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